Visakhapatnam receives Rs 8 bn for rail infrastructure upgrades

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Railways, has revealed that an allocation of approximately Rs 8 billion has been assigned to Visakhapatnam for diverse railway infrastructure undertakings this year. This disclosure came as a response to an inquiry posed by GVL Narasimha Rao, a member of the Rajya Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The newly approved projects encompass: 1. The development of the 3rd and 4th railway lines spanning a distance of 15.3 km between Visakhapatnam and Gopalapatnam, with a financial outlay of Rs 1.59 billion. 2. The initiation of a new railway line project involving the 3rd and 4th lines stretching across 20.543 km between Duvvada and Simhachalam North, with a sanctioned budget of Rs 3.02 billion. 3. The establishment of a fresh railway line project comprising the 3rd and 4th lines covering a length of 12.04 km between Vadlapudi and Gate Junction cabin, including a tie line connecting Gangavaram Port and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. The funding allotted for this project amounts to Rs 1.54 billion. 4. The authorisation of a flyover construction connecting Pendurthi and Simhachalam North at Simhachalam, spanning a distance of 7.135 km. This endeavor has been allocated Rs 1.83 billion. The Minister underscored that these initiatives have been sanctioned to mitigate capacity constraints, alleviate train delays, and accommodate the anticipated growth in traffic in the Visakhapatnam region. The process of procuring land for these ventures has already been set in motion.